UNC's on-ball pressure proved too much for Buckeyes in MSG

NEW YORK — North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis didn’t mince words at halftime of Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic matchup against No. 23 Ohio State.

“I was direct. I was straightforward. I didn’t speak in tongues or interpretation,” Davis said. “They knew exactly where I was coming from.”

Davis wasn’t happy with the effort his Tar Heels put forth in the opening frame of the neutral site game in Madison Square Garden. Despite a clear size disadvantage, Ohio State outrebounded UNC — which boasts three starters who are 6-foot-9 or taller — 21-16. The Buckeyes collected five offensive boards, one more than UNC, and were asserting their physicality over the Tar Heels.

At one point, Ohio State strung together an 18-2 run that saw the Buckeyes neutralize Tar Heels star center Armando Bacot, in large part because of big men Zed Key and Felix Okpara.

Ohio State entered halftime with a nine-point advantage, and Davis responded by doing something that two of his upperclassmen leaders, Bacot and guard Caleb Love, have requested from him: He raised his voice and delivered what Bacot called a “moving speech.”

“At halftime, we talked about how there needed to be a response and for things to change,” Davis said. “A level of toughness and physicality needed to be brought to play against such a great team in Ohio State, and they did that in the second half — not only on the defensive end, but I think on the offensive end as well, in terms of getting to their spots and getting to the shots they wanted.”

Defense led to offense for the Tar Heels, who came back from 14 down to force overtime and then ultimately beat Ohio State, 89-84.

Of UNC’s 27 points off 16 Buckeyes turnovers, 16 came in the second half and overtime. The Tar Heel guards were a load for Ohio State to handle. In addition to teaming up for 43 points, the backcourt pairing of Love and RJ Davis brought a ton of on-ball pressure in the final 25 minutes of game action.

They combined for three steals and forced even more errant passes, as the Buckeyes — who committed at least 14 giveaways for the fifth time this season — struggled with ball handling yet again.

“I think we had some careless turnovers in the open floor,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said. “I think that was most disappointing. That led to some of their scores. Just fumbled the ball, uncharacteristic with a couple of our guys who haven’t done that all year.”

Most notably, freshman point guard Bruce Thornton came in averaging just 1.8 turnovers per game but coughed up five in the loss. West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil and first-year forward Brice Sensabaugh each entered with fewer than 1.5 giveaways per game and then had three apiece.

“We did it for the first time against Virginia Tech, and, at that point, we were down by 18 and cut it to three,” Davis said of UNC’s press. “So, after the game, I felt like this is something that we could go to.

“Their ability to get deflections and steals, get turnovers, speed up the game, I thought it was huge. They’ve been fantastic with it all year.”

UNC’s defensive intensity went hand-in-hand with its transition offense. The Tar Heels scored seven fastbreak points in the second half, and Love and Davis consistently put stress on Ohio State after misses with dribble-drive penetration.

Playing with tempo offensively is nothing new for the Tar Heels. Their average possession length of 15.9 seconds is the 38th-fastest in college basketball, according to KenPom.

It put a bind on a Buckeyes defense that is 76th in KenPom adjusted efficiency.

Defense was the emphasis for Holtmann’s team during its nine-day break between its thrilling win over Rutgers in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten opener and their excruciating loss to UNC.

It has been the emphasis all season because it’s a work-in-progress, and, for years now, it’s been behind Holtmann’s offenses. There have been signs of progress, none more apparent than those in the first half against the Tar Heels.

But, when it mattered most, Ohio State couldn’t get the stops it needed. And the Buckeyes’ offense — buoyed by a combined 55 points from Justice Sueing, Sensabaugh and Thornton — couldn’t hold off a UNC squad that was humming on both ends.

Not with a bevy of turnovers.

The final giveaway was the nail in Ohio State’s coffin: While being tightly guarded by Bacot on the left wing, Key was called for a travel, costing the Buckeyes — down, 87-84 — a chance at the tie.

“There’s always those one or two possessions that we really could have locked down on and taken care of the ball a little bit better that could have prevented that,” Sueing said.

“That’s what it comes down to at the end of the game. It’s a one- or two-possession game. That’s why I was most disappointed. Because we were right there.”